There is an increasing need to reduce the power consumption of personal computers and other types of computing devices. A high-power consumption is undesirable because it increases the cooling requirements of the personal computer. Additionally, a high-power consumption is undesirable because it reduces the battery lifetime of mobile computers.
There are several components of a personal computer that draw significant amounts of power. First, the chip containing the central processing unit (CPU) draws power. Second, other chips, such as a graphics processing unit (GPU) or a bridge chipset, also consume power.
Additionally, a high-performance personal computer requires high-bandwidth data buses to transfer data between components. High-bandwidth data buses also consume a significant amount of power. The power required to operate a high-bandwidth data bus can be significant, particularly in the context of a mobile personal computer having a limited power budget.
Therefore, what is desired is an apparatus, system, and method for reducing bus power for a high bandwidth data bus.